THE Young Upstarts Business Pitch Competition is back this 2015 giving budding student entrepreneurs and new graduates the chance to test their ideas and kickstart their entrepreneurship journey. Apply now.

CATCH a cinema hit, enjoy some breakfast tastings, admire the glamorous jewels at Tiffany or immerse yourself in the legendary art collections of Catherine the Great. Jennifer Zhao shows you a winter weekend can also be something you very much look forward to.

STARTING at the bottom and evolving into its current Artistic Director, Flare Dance Ensemble’s Jun Takahashi talks to us about the club’s direction, its success with overseas students and her own ambitions. Daniel Driscoll has more.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is back with its new theme “Equality”, focusing on issues of freedom and equality in our contemporary world. Promising over 45 film screenings, the festival will feature stories that will definitely tug at your heartstrings. Nicole Tee recommends a selection of films worth watching.

Love Melbourne? The Victorian Government is inviting current and former students to contribute to the discussion on making Victoria the place to study for international students – and our team at Meld is pleased to be facilitating these conversations. Find out how you can take part.

MISSED out on the Sports and Recreation Expo for International Students in May? Don’t worry! Deborah Goh recommends the top three sports clubs international students might find interesting enough to join.

PICK up a new new skill, learn more about your future career, have a run around the city in your pyjamas or learn how to make a bouquet of paper flowers. The choice is yours this weekend as Hieu Chau runs through what’s on this weekend.

MENTAL health is a persistent topic in Australia and is often described as an epidemic for young people. Anthea Batsakis speaks to beyondblue’s Dr Stephen Carbone to learn more about how international students can identify and find support for their feelings of anxiety and depression.

AMONG the many obstacles that overseas students find difficult to overcome when they arrive in a new country to study is the language barrier. Trinity College Foundation Studies students Kezia Angelica, Yang Xiao and Rachel Heng speak to staff and students about the barrier and offer solutions on breaking it down.

THE Young Upstarts Business Pitch Competition is back this 2015 giving budding student entrepreneurs and new graduates the chance to test their ideas and kickstart their entrepreneurship journey. Apply now.

MENTAL health is a persistent topic in Australia and is often described as an epidemic for young people. Anthea Batsakis speaks to beyondblue’s Dr Stephen Carbone to learn more about how international students can identify and find support for their feelings of anxiety and depression.

CATCH a cinema hit, enjoy some breakfast tastings, admire the glamorous jewels at Tiffany or immerse yourself in the legendary art collections of Catherine the Great. Jennifer Zhao shows you a winter weekend can also be something you very much look forward to.

AS part of Meld’s PAX Australia 2014 coverage, we spoke to various indie game developers and schools to talk about their games, their journey to PAX and their thoughts on the state of Australian games development. Hieu Chau has more.

RAPIDLY rising K-pop star Eric Nam was in town recently for the second annual KWAVE Festival. Carene Chong sat down with him to talk about his music, life in the limelight and hidden talents among others.

MELBOURNE cafe, Manchester Press, is one of the city’s beloved hot spots and a fine example of Melbourne’s coffee culture at work. Darren Boon and Diane Leow spoke to the cafe’s staff to get an inside look at the daily grind of this Melbourne institution.

FROM busking in the streets of Melbourne to embarking on a national tour, Melbourne band Woodlock is set on keeping the dream alive. Former News Editor Diane Leow caught up with the band to talk about Melbourne’s busking scene, their own music and offer advice to those who want to give busking a try.

ANNUAL gaming tournament Shadowloo Showdown brought some of the best gaming fighters for a weekend of competitive action. Hieu Chau interviewed a former international student on his gaming background and his thoughts on Shadow Logic’s work in organising the weekend-long fighting game tournament.

AUSSIE author Rosalie Ham will see one of her novels, The Dressmaker, turned into a film starring Kate Winslet as the lead. Trinity College Foundation Studies students Clara Choo and Nicolette Lim caught up with the author to talk about the book, the upcoming film and more!

Trinity College Foundation Studies (TCFS) was one of the first institutions worldwide to pilot the use of iPads in the classroom for teaching and learning in 2010. Four years on, TCFS students Brenda Tang, Nigel Yam, and Louise Xu examine the benefits and disadvantages of the use of this device in the classroom.

HOW does one lead a successful student group? What motivates CISA’s International Student Of the Year? We reveal the answers to these questions and more in our exclusive interview with this year’s CISA Excellence Awards winners. Meld multimedia and news editors Julian Tay and Diane Leow report.

In conjunction with Good Neighbour Month, Diane Leow, together with videographer Mai Nguyen, took to the streets to ask you guys who your neighbours are, how well do you know them, and what does it mean to be a good neighbour. Watch the video to see what you had to say!

YOUTUBE stars David Choi and Jason Chen were in town last weekend for a One Night Only concert – much to the excitement of their fans here in Melbourne. Priscilla Pho, Julian Tay, and Mai Nguyen tell you more.

STARTING November 21 – 23, you can participate in the APERTURE Festival – a film festival celebrating ethnographic documentaries in the Asia-Pacific region. Hieu Chau finds out more about the festival.

THOUGH not often discussed, masturbation is as important a topic as any when it comes to sexual awareness. Hieu Chau speaks to a panel of experts from YEAH’s Red Aware campaign where they gave insight into the matter.

IF you’ve never been to a film festival before or if you’re about to visit one for the first time, Hieu Chau has gathered different perspectives on how one can survive at a film festival – from this year’s Korean International Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA).

WITH 70,000 active users, OurSay is closing the gap between the public and decision makers. In this interview with Meld, CEO of OurSay, Eyal Halamish, tells of how international students can create the change they want to see.

WHAT makes an award-winning movie? What does it take to be a filmmaker? Diane Leow chats with Singaporean director Anthony Chen, who is in town to promote his film Ilo Ilo at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

FOLLOWING the Life’s a Gamble theatre production exploring the issue of problem gambling among young international students, Rebecca Di Nuzzo brings you the backstory of those who turn to gambling when the reality of life in Australia doesn’t pan out.

JUST how much effort, money and time do cosplayers put into designing and constructing their elaborate and intricate attires? And why do they do it? From the colourful to the downright outrageous, Leon Saw and Julian Tay explore the world of cosplayers at the recent PAX Australia 2013.

BE inspired as Cupcake Central founder Sheryl Thai shares how she was able to listen to her heart in the face of adversity, turning a job redundancy in the 2009 global financial crisis into the perfect opportunity to pursue her dreams.

TAKE a photo in front of your favourite piece of street art in Melbourne and stand the chance to win one of three copies of Meld’s exclusive Little Orange Book of Big Discounts, containing some $1000 worth of offers and deals!

WITH Victoria being the only state to withhold public transport concessions to international students, the Meld team hit the streets to test the reactions of students both local and international, and come up with with some surprising findings.

LIVING below the line is more than MasterChef reunions and budget dining for penniless students. Last week’s epic celebrity cook-off was just a small part of an ongoing battle against poverty. Reporter Grace Yew and videographer Julian Tay covered the event.

NEWLY arrived from Indonesia? Don’t miss Tau-Tau Melbourne, a festival that aims to help students settle into their new life overseas. Plus, stand a chance to win return-tickets from Melbourne to Jakarta and an iPad mini!

MISSED meeting JinnyBoyTV, Marianne Tan and Ethan Curzon of shortfilm Unfold 2 when they were in Melbourne last month? Catch up on highlights from our exclusive Up Close & Personal session with the crew.

MELD’s very own ‘Jaywalker’, Carene Chong, witnessed history in the making as Jay Park took to the Dallas Brooks stage – the first major K-Pop act to headline a show in Melbourne. Missed the gig? Then get to know the man himself in our exclusive video interview.

WHAT does it take to run a successful independent music label in Asia? And can hip hop help heal the tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia? Gayertree Subramaniam spoke about all that and more with Malaysia’s Joe Flizzow of Too Phat fame, SonaOne, and DJ Biggie.

DID you know an ’emo’ Cathy Nguyen once disabled comments on a YouTube video? Or that AJ Rafael comes from a very musical family (most of whom live in Australia)? We got to know a different side of the multitalented YouTubers. And dared them to take on the Aussie accent.

RADIO DJ and YouTube filmmaker Jin Lim never expected he’d become a household name in Malaysia. He talks to Sarah Lim about his rise to fame, JinnyBoyTv and how he wants to be a voice for his country. Check out our video interview with him too!

IT’S a topic many of us shy away from. But it’s one that’s hard to avoid, especially when you’re living away from home. This September, Meld Magazine wants to start a conversation – about sex. Safe sex. For it, against it, don’t really care about it, we want to hear from you.

EARLIER this year, 40 lucky fans got to hang out with David in our Up Close & Personal event. Now, we’re making the experience available to all of you. So get to know a different side of David in our exclusive interview.

US film-makers and YouTube superstars Wong Fu Productions were in Melbourne last weekend! In our exclusive video interview, we catch up with the guys about their craziest fans, Asian stereotypes, Valentine’s Day, future plans and much more.

Archive

About

Meld Magazine was incorporated as an independent not-for-profit media outlet in September 2008 to reach out to international students in Melbourne, and provide students the opportunity to gain real work experience.

Many international students live in or around the city because of the proximity to their colleges and universities, and that was where we decided to focus our efforts first. Many of us live, work and study locally too. Our editorial team is made of both local and international students, and it has worked to our advantage in providing local content in every sense of the word.